GUITAR REVIEW
V-Picks: Guitar, Mandolin and Bass Picks
by Michael Buffalo Smith I may have just happened upon the ulti-
mate guitar pick. The V-Pick, a hand made guitar pick created in 1980 by guitarist Vinni Smith was the first pick to originate from cast acrylic. The pick was originally developed for more volume, better tone, fast playing action and beauty. There is no shortage of variations in style,
with over 100 models available. There are picks applicable for electric and acoustic gui- tar, mandolin, bass guitar, dulcimer and an assortment of therapeutic picks for play- ers with hand and arm in- juries. I tried out
at least 12 of the designs, including the Ed King Sig-
nature pick, created to provide a similar tone to the one Ed gets by playing with a sea shell. Likewise, the Billy Gibbons pick provides a tone reminiscent of the sound Billy achieved for years by using a Mexican Peso. Both picks sound really great on my Fender Telecaster. Be sure not to use lite gauge strings though, these bad boys will eat them puppies for lunch. Get you some decent gauge strings and turn your Marshall up to eleven. Of all the choices and styles, my favorite V- Pick has to be the ruby red Screamer! This
bad boy has excellent tone, and red is my fa- vorite color. The longer bevel cre- ates sharp attack, brighter tone and more volume. The Screamer has very bright highs and a big low end as well. And the technology makes it virtually impos- sible to drop while sweating and riffing. I like that. According to the catalog, this is due to their “own unique blend of acrylic that sticks to your fingers when warmed up by your hand.” What will they think of next? Bear in mind that these are not your four-
for-a-dollar picks. These are high end, but like Grandpa always said, “You get what you pay for.” All of the picks combine a unique blend of acrylics and a carefully calculated bevel. V-Picks are the original clear acrylic picks with extra fat tone, fast action and super grip. These acrylic picks are made in gauges ranging from .75mm to 11.85mm. V-Picks are endorsed by a long list of
heavyweight guitarists, including Carlos San- tana, Ed King, Billy Gibbons, Rick Vito, Derek St Holmes, Jimmy Herring, Greg Martin and Billy Sheehan, just to name a few. For a long-lasting, easy grip pick with ex-
cellent tone, V-Picks would be hard to beat. • Visit
www.v-picks.com also on Facebook.
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